Transparent Domain Walls through Information Convex Sets

Abstract:In $(2+1)$-dimensional topologically ordered many-body states, transparent (topologically deformable) domain walls are invisible to local topological probes, yet can modify the ground state degeneracy (GSD) and transmute anyons transported across them. Here, we develop an entanglement-bootstrap framework using information convex sets (ICSs) on local and noncontractible annuli to extract information about transparent domain walls directly from ground state wavefunctions at fixed points of Abelian topological phases on a torus, without taking categorical defect data as input. We derive fusion rules governing the action of anyons on extreme points of ICSs on noncontractible annuli and determine their quantum dimensions. Extreme points invariant under transport around the complementary cycle correspond one-to-one to minimum entropy states (MESs), and their number equals the GSD. The maximal topological entanglement entropy (TEE), $\gamma_{\rm LW}^{\max}=\log({D}/d_\alpha)$, probes the net effect of walls crossing the chosen annulus, where ${ D}$ is the total quantum dimension and $d_\alpha$ is the quantum dimension of an extreme point of its ICS. In contrast, the maximal entanglement asymmetry is $\Delta S_X^{\max}=\log\mathrm{GSD}$. This value is the same for both annulus orientations and reflects the combined effect of the transparent domain walls. We further show that transparent domain walls can give rise to symmetries supported jointly on the two chosen fundamental cycles that cannot be decomposed into a product of two $1$-form symmetry operators, one supported on each cycle. By relating their action on MESs to anyon tunneling and the fusion rules, we clarify how these symmetries connect distinct ground states. Additionally, we apply the framework to Wen's plaquette model, the anisotropic dipolar toric code, and the rank-2 toric code.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)

arXiv:2609.26892 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2609.26892v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.26892 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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